New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ronal Serpas announced his retirement Monday, and sources tell WDSU he is stepping down to accept a leadership position with an international police organization and to teach at a local university.

Harrison joined the NOPD in Nov. 1991 and most recently served as the commander of the Seventh District. He spent nearly a decade within the NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau.

“Cmdr. Harrison has demonstrated strong, community-focused leadership during his tenure as Seventh District commander," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. "During this transition, I am confident he will be able to scale the focus on building trust with the community citywide to improve public safety.”

City Council President Stacy Head said she is ready to work with Harrison as he fills the position in the interim.

"I've heard great things about Cmdr. Harrison. I've worked with him intermittently over the last few years -- mostly when he was in the six district. So I'm really excited to see him take over the leadership reigns, and I hope that this would also signal to some of the younger police officers -- some of the lower-ranked police officers -- that there's a really great opportunity for us to work with and groom and develop leadership from within to make this the strongest and best police force we could possible hope for," she said.

According to a news release from city officials, the Seventh District experienced crime reductions in 2012 and 2013 under his watch.

He helped craft and testified in favor of a piece of legislation to enable better enforcement of prostitution and solicitation, which was a major problem in the district, officials said.

From January 2011 to 2012, he served as commander of the Special Investigations Division in which he managed the narcotics, vice, criminal intelligence and gang enforcement units of NOPD.

Prior to joining the NOPD, Harrison served eight years with the Louisiana Air National Guard. He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006 and a Master of Criminal Justice from Loyola University in 2008.

He is a member of IACP and the Police Executive Research Forum. Harrison, a resident of Algiers, also serves as an ordained minister and the overseer of ministry operations at City of Love Church in New Orleans.

“I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to help lead this department through this transition. I believe policing is one of the noblest professions," Harrison said Monday. "The men and women of this department put their lives on the line each and every day. Public safety is at the core of our city, intersecting with quality of life, education, economic development and community pride, so we must continue to work to improve the relationship between NOPD and our community and will continue to make our streets safer.”